GF Pie Crust

Use this recipe for sweet or savory pies.  This was my first try at a gluten free crust, and super pleased with the results.  Buttery and flaky but still a substantial crust.  These little muffin tin pie crusts ended up as French silk pies 

I can't wait to make fruit pies, pumpkin pie, pecan pie and chicken pot pies!  

For now, Pie Crust:

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cup rice flour (you can use a blend of different rice flours, I used just brown rice flour.)

1/2 cup tapioca starch

2 Tablespoons sugar (for sweet pies;omit for savory pies)

Pinch salt

1 cup butter cut into pieces

1/4 cup to 1/2 cup cold water

Cut the butter into the flour mixture, using a pastry blender, fork, or food processor. Cut all the butter in until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Add water slowly until dough forms a cohesive ball.  Divide dough in half and cover.  Chill for at least one hour, and keep dough in the fridge when not roung it out.  

Roll out one section at a time and transfer to pie plate.  Prick holes into the bottom surface of the dough. You can pre bake the crust at 350 for 8-10+ minutes, depending on size.  Watch it so it won't burn! Or fill with your favorite filling and follow your pie directions.  Watch the edges and cover with foil if browning too quickly.  

Happy pie making!

GF Pierogi

I woke up wanting pierogies, so I made some.  They turned out perfectly, just like a traditional pierogi.  

Ingredients 

Dough:

1/2 cup sour cream

2/3 cup milk

Pinch salt

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

2 1/2 cups any gluten free flour blend.  For this recipe I used Bob's Red Mill biscuit and baking mix

Blend well and let rest for five minutes.  Roll into rounds, fill, and pinch edges to seal.  Drop into boiling water for a few minutes, until done.  Remove from boiling water and top with freshly ground black pepper.  Let sit for a few minutes before serving, or pan fry or broil before serving. These are excellent the next day heated up in the toaster oven, topped with cheese!

Filling:

Boil 1# potatoes, peeled and chopped.  Drain and mash with one onion, sautéed in butter, add 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup milk.  Add salt and pepper to taste, mash until smooth and creamy.

Crock Pot Chicken Tikka Masala

I'm kicking myself for not finding this recipe sooner in life.  If you only need one reason to own a slow cooker, this is it. 

Ingredients:

3-4 pounds boneless chicken cut into pieces

1 onion chopped

5 cloves garlic minced

5 fresh tomatoes, chopped and smashed with your hands 

2 Tablespoons garam masala

1 Tablespoon curry powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

cayenne to taste

2 cups plain yogurt

1cup heavy cream - 1/2 cup for now, 1/2 cup for when it's finished cooking

3 Taespoons arrowroot

Fresh lemon & cilantro

Coat the chicken pieces with the spice mixture, then stir in yogurt to coat.  Cover and refrigerate for a few hours to overnight.

Put into the crock pot with 1/2 cup of the heavy cream.  Stir well and set the temp:

HIGH - 8 hours

LOW - 4 hours

Just before serving, stir the arrowroot into the remaining 1/2 cup of cream, and add to the crock pot stirring to combine.  

Serve over hot basmati rice, top with cilantro and a fresh squeeze of lemon.

Just as good as a fine curry take-out, even better because it's made at home. 

GF Homemade Pasta

Homemade pasta is easy.  Seriously easy!  I'm not sure that I will ever buy a prepackaged dry gluten free pasta ever again.  There is nothing like fresh pasta, and I can't wait to experiment with this recipe to make all sorts of yummy noodles like lemon pepper fettucini, wide onion and dill egg noodles, I'm even going to try to get this thin enough to use for lasagne and manicotti.

I have an atlas pasta machine, which makes the task even easier burn you don't need one: all you need is a rolling pin and a sharp knife.

Have fun!  

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup rice flour

1/2 cup tapioca starch

1tsp xanthan gum

4 eggs

Pinch of salt

Whisk together the dry ingredients.  Add eggs using a wood spoon.  Mix then knead with your hands until cohesive and smooth.  Diverse dough into four equal parts.  Take each part and squeeze it into a ball... It will take a little muscle to get the ball to form.  Don't give up- it WILL form into a ball.  Do this with each section, and cover them with a damp towel.  Work with one ball at a time.  Roll out or put through pasta machine until thin.  I put mine through 4 passes with the Atlas machine.

After you have reached the desired thinness, time to cut into noodles!  Use a ruler and a sharp knife to make linguine style noodles.  If using the Atlas machine, just run it through the thickest noodle setting (fettucini).  I haven't tried the spaghetti setting yet, but will try soon enough. 

Let the fresh pasta sit for about 10 minutes to dry out a not, then cook in boiling water for a few minutes.  Depending on how thick your noodles are will dictate how long to boil your pasta for.  Drain and serve with your favorite topping.  These noodkes are do tasty just on their own, I believe the possibilities may be endless!

GF Gingerbread

Real gingerbread.  Moist and spicy, this satisfies my need for gingerbread in the deep winter months.  I made this for Christmas, and will be a tradition for sure!  

Gingerbread 

1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 cup molasses

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla 

1 egg + 1 egg white

Mix together:

1 1/2 cups + 2 Tbs. Almond flour

1 Tbs coconut flour 

1 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Preheat over to 350. 

Mix together the wet ingredients in a small bowl.

In a large bowl, mix thoroughly the dry ingredients.  Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients and blend at medium speed until well combined. 

Bake in an pikes 8x8 pan for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  

 Cool for a few moments before serving.  To butter or not to butter; that is your discretion. 

Gluten Free Shortbread

I recently purchased a package of gluten free pecan shortbread, delicious, no doubt, but I knew I could do better at home.  So can you.

GF Shortbread

1 1/3 cup rice flour 

1/2 cup rice flour

1/2 cup arrowroot

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. xanthan gum

2 sticks butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

2 tsp. vanilla 

Preheat oven to 300.

In a small bowl mix together rice flour, arrowroot, salt, baking powder & xanthan gum.  Stir together & set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine softened butter, sugar & vanilla.  Cream together with electric mixer.  Slowly add and mix in the dry ingredients, blending completely.

Once mixed, it will look like crumbs and you will wonder how in the world it will become cookies.  If you've never made shortbread, it's like magic how it all comes together.  Trust me, it will!

Once mixed, you can add various ingredients to make different types if shortbread.  For pecan, I added about 1/2 cup of finely ground pecans to the mixture, stirred it in completely and they turned out perfectly.  

Yum Yum Suggestions:  

•1/4 cup finely ground nuts, pecans, walnuts, almonds, cashews; whatever you like.  If adding almonds, substitute 1 tsp. almond extract for the vanilla extract

•1/4-1/2 cup chopped milk or dark chocolate, increase vanilla extract to 2 1/2 tsp

•1/2 cup chopped dried cherries, substitute 1 tsp. almond extract for the vanilla extract 

•1/2 cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut 

After mixing in desired ingredients, grab a handful of the crumbly mixture and squeeze it into a flat ball, sort of like a hamburger patty.  Don't try to roll out all of the dough at once.  It will crumble apart and leave you super frustrated!  Take it in small batches, a couple of handfuls at a time.  The goal is a compressed patty that you can roll out without it falling apart.  

Carefully press it together, pressing in around the edges to keep it from crumbling apart.  Place the dough patty on a floured surface to roll out on.  

Flatten the patty with your hand and then roll out to about 1/4" thickness.  I turn the dough to roll it out in every direction.  I also keep compressing in the sides, as to not get the edges too crumbly.  

Roll to about 1/4" thickness then cut into desired shapes (I used small round cookie cutters).  Bake at 300 for 30 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Corn Souffle

Gluten free, of course, this was supposed to be a Christmas dinner dish but we never got around to making it, until after the new year.  We were so pleased with the outcome, it has become a regular in our kitchen!

Mix together in a large bowl:

3 beaten eggs
1 Tablespoon sugar
black pepper
1 can cream style corn
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar or monterey jack)
1/3 cup  milk, cream, or half & half

Stir everything until well combined.
Pour into a baking dish, bake at 350 for 55 minutes

The original version is amazing, but we have made tons of variations to this dish.  The last time I made it, I mixed in a can of drained and rinsed pinto beans, and layered in corn tortillas.  I also added a handful of cilantro and a few chopped green onions.  This is an extremely versatile dish.

You can also add up to 3 Tbs. Gluten free baking mix/biscuit mix or flour blend if you prefer a thicker souffle.